'No jab, no play' laws in place for Queensland children

QUEENSLAND child care centres will have the power to reject unvaccinated enrolments after Labor's 'no jab, no play' laws received bipartisan support.

The rare display of congeniality between the major parties, which so far has been reserved largely for domestic violence legislation, came with both sides agreeing to "put the safety of children first".

The legislation, introduced by Health Minister Cameron Dick earlier this year, came after a period of negotiation between the LNP and Labor in the previous administration

.A bill Labor put forward while in Opposition was rejected, as it did not allow much room for conscientious objectors. The LNP meanwhile, said it wanted to review how no jab, no play rules were introduced in New South Wales before moving forward. But the legislation Mr Dick put forward found a compromise, by allowing child care centres to exclude non-vaccinated children, without forcing child care centres to mandate the rule.

The bill aims for 95 per cent herd immunity. Currently, about 91.5 per cent of children aged five and under are fully immunised, leaving Queensland 35,000 children short of its target.